The jury selection for former President Donald Trump’s trial centered on hush money payments to Stormy Daniels officially got underway in New York City on Monday, with lawyers for Trump and the state meeting with prospective jurors to decide who will sit to hear the case.
Judge Juan Merchan is overseeing the case in which Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree during his successful 2016 presidential campaign. The dozen ultimately selected will become the first Americans ever to sit in judgment of a former president charged with a crime.
The jury selection procedure is simple. Each potential juror is seated in the jury box and will be asked to answer 42 questions from a questionnaire that reviews the individual’s work history, political affiliations and what media they choose to watch and listen to.
The prospective jurors must be Manhattan residents. They are then asked each question, and are instructed to answer “one after the other, in a loud clear voice,” according to the court’s instructions. They may potentially be asked additional follow-up questions, as needed, depending on their answer.
